A journey of (Asian) skincare, arts, and culture

I Dream of Tony Moly: Panda’s Dream Eye Patch Review

I’m tired. Are you tired? I feel like there’s always some way I can improve those dark undereye circles…other than obviously getting more, better-quality sleep. Well, we’re not all lucky enough to have that luxury regularly, okay?!

P.S. You get 2 cool points if you’re an old geezer like me you’ve ever watched I Dream of Jeannie.~

The Claims

The Panda’s Dream line of products are aimed toward improving the undereyes, whether by brightening dull skin, soothing tired eyes, or simply helping you keep cool, like their eye stick. The eye patches’ packaging doesn’t say much other than that they are “designed to vitalize the skin around eyes that appear dark and dull due to various elements.”

Ingredients List:

This thing is loaded with hydrating ingredients, notably from plant-based sources like bamboo, aloe, potato, and cucumber.

Key ingredients:

Bamboo extract – According to the product description on Ulta, bamboo extract
(rich in amino acids) can help brighten and moisturize the skin while reducing the appearance of fine lines and dark circles. It’s also a source of silica, which helps keep your body tissue healthy and reportedly creates collagen, making it an anti-aging ally (also great for nails and hair, apparently!). There aren’t huge numbers of studies on this ingredient, though whatever is out there seems to lean positively. Pandas aren’t the brightest animals, but I guess they got lucky with incorporating bamboo in their diets.

Niacinamide – The brightening wonder! Effective at up to 5% of a product’s formulation, niacinamide brightens skin, promotes elasticity, reduces irritation/redness, improves skin tone and texture, and even helps prevent acne through its anti-bacterial properties. It also reportedly increases your skin’s levels of ceramide (read more about how this works with your skin barrier!). It’s one of my favorite ingredients right meow (currently using it in the Mizon Black Snail cream and Cosrx Galactomyces 95 essence). This also got a little shoutout in my review of The Yufit’s Mirapack.

See Cosdna for more details. Those with 1 or higher “Acne” or “Irritant” value, as well as a red “Safety” value, are bolded*:

*Note that these values do not indicate universal truths. The amount of ingredient actually in the product, as well as the product’s overall formulation, greatly affect the potential for irritation. Not everyone will be sensitive to these bolded ingredients, and you may be sensitive to ingredients that are not bolded. Every individual’s skin may react differently. Your Mileage May Vary (YMMV).

The Evidence

Performance:

Hahaha. First of all, I struggled a bit trying to put these eye patches on. Which way is up? Down? Which one goes on the left eye? What is life? I don’t know! I put them on the best way I could. I actually compared my eye patch placement with the panda illustration on the packet to see if I put the patches on the right way and in the right shape.

DON’T JUDGE.

After I finally got them on my face sort of correctly, like I do with full-face sheet masks, I leave this on for about one hour. The patches really feel cooling and refreshing; there’s really a difference in skin sensation between using a full sheet mask and using just eye patches, if that makes sense. It’s like the cooling effect around my eyes feels stronger because I don’t have anything on any other part of my face. I think to myself, if the essence doesn’t work, at least it feels really nice!

Very attraction.

Since they’re quite small, the patches don’t have much extra essence to speak of. Not enough to save for later, though there’s enough left to pour onto the patches to keep ’em moist, or to use for a facial massage afterward. The patches dry out a little more quickly than a face mask, which is understandable due to their smaller size. After taking off the patches, I really didn’t notice much except for perhaps hydration/moisturization to induce more plumpness. Even so, that effect wasn’t very pronounced.

After using 2 of these in one week, I was not surprised that I didn’t see any whitening or brightening. After all, like I say quite often (and as you’re probably tired of me repeating!) sheet masks are meant to provide instant but temporary effects.

Fragrance:

Value:

The price is higher than you’d typically pay for more satisfactory eye patches, say, a whole little jar of 60 Petitfee hydrogel eye patches. Fortunately, I got an awesome deal on these Tony Moly ones because I got three of these as a gift. :’) If you want to try them out, you can find them at:

Hey! Even Sephora has them for $3. On principle, though, I simply can’t recommend Sephora for your AB needs due to their markup and inability to differentiate between Japanese from Korean… But let’s save that for another rant.

The Verdict

I was a bit disappointed with the Tony Moly Panda’s Dream Eye Patch because I’ve usually been pleasantly surprised with Tony Moly. They’re a cutesy brand with novelty packaging and some gems here and there, but unfortunately, this wasn’t one of them. I wasn’t impressed with these eye patches’ delivery of their claims, even if I managed my expectations well enough. It’s hydrating and cooling enough, but honestly, you’re much better off with a hydrogel eye patch or similar at this price point. If you want to whiten/brighten your undereyes and/or skin, opt for an essence, ampoule, serum, or other products that are intended for long-term use. In fact, don’t lose sleep on masking with this. Other things you could do:

Stay hydrated and drink lots of water throughout the day.

Don’t just get lots of sleep. Get some good-quality sleep! Invest in a supportive pillow (and mattress, if you can). Don’t sleep in too long, either.

Use a simple cooling pad or a baggie of frozen vegetables if you want to mimic the cooling sensation and constrict the blood flow that may be causing your dark undereyes.

Be aware: Some people are simply more genetically inclined to have darker undereyes, even if you’re getting enough rest and all. Your undereye skin may be thinner, making the blood vessels underneath more visible. And that’s okay! After all, no one else will notice your undereyes as much as you yourself notice them. 🙂

Whew. Aren’t you glad this wasn’t one of my monster-sized reviews again? Truth be told, there’s not that much to say. I should probably have saved this one for a mass “meh” review post, but I wanted to balance my reviewing scales a bit and highlight this one—I tend to be lenient with Tony Moly because they’re usually very affordable and you hardly lose hundreds of dollars by testing their products. With this mask, though, if you’re looking for something more substantial than novelty, keep dreaming!

Overall Rating: 2 / 5

Rating system:5 / 5: HOLY GRAIL STATUS. I dare you to pry this from my cold, dead, kpop-glowy hands.
4 / 5: I really liked this! Would repurchase until I find a better alternative.
3 / 5: So-so. Unimpressive results, but may work better for others with different conditions.
2 / 5: Would not repurchase. Possibly caused some issues for me, but may work for others.
1 / 5: This lied to me. It did nothing that it said it would, and caused some issues.
0 / 5: Do not buy this. No one should have to suffer the way I did.

Tony Moly’s such a hit-or-miss brand—I know a lot of people either love it or hate it! What are your experiences with their products? 🙂

I’m so eh on TonyMoly. Biased because their cutesy packaging and their cheap starter lines make me think they’re not actually good quality. Although I did just pick up their Wonder Cheese and Honey body creams for the delicious scent (Cheese smells faintly like vanilla cake). What are some things you like from them? –Angela

Mmm, they sound yummy–I gotta check those out next visit! I’m fond of certain I’m Real masks (rice, mainly) and the Backstage Gel Liner at their price points. Generally I think the same way, though; brands like Tony Moly spend a lot of effort/funds on the cutesy packaging and sometimes neglect the actual product inside. o: